The present invention is generally related to a communication device, especially to a communication device which has small dimensions and may be sized for attachment to a wrist.
Today communication devices, e.g. mobile phones working in cellular networks for enabling phone calls comprise a numerical keypad with twelve keys to enter phone numbers and characters and some special keys for controlling the phone functions. For operating the keys the user can hold the communication device comfortably in one hand and operates the key with his fingers.
A display, which is usually placed above the keypad on the front side of the communication device displays information, which is related to the input by the user or to the state of the communication device. For example if the user enters a phone number by using the numerical keypad the number is displayed on the display. Furthermore the user can scroll through a stored phonebook by using the up and down keys and he can select one of the names, which are shown on the display. On activation of a call key a phone call to the selected person is established by using the telephone number which is associated to this name in the memory of the device. This kind of user interface is for example used by the Nokia 3110 mobile phone which is designed for use in the cellular telephone system GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).
As the user is interested to have mobile phones with small dimensions the user interface has to be adapted to this small dimensions. For this reason the telephone could be divided in two parts as the same applicant describes it in the pending patent application EP 840465. A first part comprises at least a power supply, a radio part (transceiver) to communicate within the radio telephone system, e.g. with a base station or another radio phone, an antenna and data transfer means for communicating with the second part. The second part comprises at least keys and data transfer means for communicating with the first part. As described in the mentioned patent application the second part can be carried on the wrist of the user like a wristwatch.
As it can be noticed very easily by looking at the drawings of the mentioned documents it is very difficult to operate the keys of said wrist phones because the dimensions of the keys are very small. Especially the numerical keyboard, as it is disclosed in EP 0602828 A1, comprises very small keys, which can be operated only with fingernails or by the usage of a special stick or the tip of a pen. Also if the phone has the dimensions of a pocket watch the dimensions of the keys of a numerical keypad are to small for comfortable operation.
Even if the user interface is designed in a way that only a few keys are necessary for operation they are usually difficult to operate. Furthermore the functionality of the User Interface has usually to be reduced if only a low number of keys is available.
Therefore it is an object of the invention to improve the data entry into a phone with small dimensions like a wrist phone.
In accordance with the invention a radio communication device, sized for attachment to a wrist, comprises transceiver means for transmitting and receiving radio signals comprising data, a display for displaying data, processor means including a memory for controlling the transceiver means and the display and user input means, connected to the processor means. The user input means comprise a substantially circular ring surrounding the display. The ring is mounted for rotational movement about an axis passing substantially through the centre of the ring and substantially perpendicular to the plane of the ring wherein the processor means is responsive to the movement of the means to control the transceiver and the display.
The radio communication device is e.g. a mobile radiotelephone, a pager or a cordless telephone.
The radio communication device may represent the user interface of a mobile radiotelephone. In this case the user interface itself only contains a short range radio transceiver and communication to the cellular network is done through a kind of booster which is equipped with a short range radio interface for communication with the user interface and a cellular phone transceiver for communication with the cellular telephone network.
Embodiments of the present invention provide considerable advantages over solutions of prior art. The communication device may have the shape of a wristwatch or a pocket watch with a cylindrical shape. A ring in the shape of a bezel, as it is for example know from diving watches for controlling the diving time, can be used as an input device.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the circular ring of the communication device is mounted for translational displacement of the ring parallel to the plane of the ring. Shifting the ring in any direction can enter this way data, which is selected by rotation of the ring. Different shifting directions could lead to different actions. The ring may be shifted to four directions (left, right, up, down) to control four different actions. The ring may be shifted in any direction and only one operation is triggered this way.
Furthermore the circular ring of the communication device is mounted for translational displacement of the ring perpendicular to the plane of the ring. This way data, which is selected by the rotation of the ring, can be entered by pressing down the ring. Any other functions/actions can also be initiated by pressing down the ring.
In a further advantageous embodiment the communication device comprises means for detecting clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation of the ring. The detection of the rotation direction is for example important while the user is selecting characters from the alphabet. For example the user does not need to rotate the ring for a lot of steps in clockwise direction if he wants to choose the letter xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d when the actually selected letter is a xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d. If the device detects the anti-clockwise rotation the user only needs to rotate the ring for one step anti-clockwise.
By rotational movement of the ring alphanumeric data can be selected from the memory which is then displayed on the display. This kind of data can represent a telephone number, which is entered by a user for establishing a phone call to a telephone.
The data selected by the rotation of the ring can also be a name which is associated with a telephone number in the phone book memory of the communication device. While rotating the ring the user scrolls through the phonebook of the communication device and selects a name, and thereby the phone number by shifting or pressing the ring.
This data could also be a e.g. short message, which is entered and/or edited by the user input means. The entered short message can be send to a recipient by the radio communication device then.
The rotational movement of the input ring can advantageously be detected by electro-optical conversion means. The electro-optical conversion means can be, for example, an infra red light emitting diode (IR-LED) and an infrared detector. The ring contains at its underside light reflecting and non-light reflecting areas and while rotation of the ring the IR detector detects changes from the reflecting to non-reflecting area. These changes are indicated to the processing means.
The translational displacement of the ring e.g. shifting the ring or pressing down the ring is advantageously indicated to the microprocessor by key buttons. Key buttons on the inner side of the ring indicates to the processing means that the ring is shifted and key buttons below the ring indicate to the processing means that the ring is pressed down.
The present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: